AVONDALE EXTRA

A LOCAL CHARITY FOR LOCAL CHILDREN

IN A NUTSHELL

Avondale Extra was founded in 2002 by local people to benefit the children of Avondale Park Primary School.

The aim of the charity is to broaden the children's experience and create lifelong interests by funding the sort of out of school activities that more privileged children take for granted. We sponsor extra-curricular activities which include sports, the arts, educational excursions and residential trips.

All the work is done voluntarily and Avondale Extra is proud of the fact that we have no salaries to pay and virtually no overheads.

ABOUT AVONDALE EXTRA

Avondale Extra exists to support the children of Avondale Park and St Anne's Federation of Schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Despite excellent provision made by the Borough, many of our children still lack the extras that can make such a difference. The founders identified a real need for a wider education and inspiration for the children and because of the very limited funds of the parents, there is need for support from local people.

It was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in 2002 number 1094749.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Avondale Park and St Anne's Federation of Schools has over 400 pupils aged from 3 to 11 years.

They speak about 42 languages other than English and 71% do not speak English as their first language.

Despite being in one of the wealthiest boroughs in the country, the school lies within an area of tower blocks with one third of our families living in inadequate or overcrowded households with little safe space to play .

More than one quarter of our children have special educational, social, emotional or behavioural needs.

Some of our children have never visited the countryside or the coast and some have little or no opportunity to go out of the immediate area. Many have no access to live theatre or music and cannot afford sport and other activities out of school.

HOW AVONDALE EXTRA WORKS

Nearly all our generous benefactors live locally and so understand the challenges the school faces and the difference that extras can make in a child's life. We fundraise through appeals by letter and the occasional event at the school. We have also received good support from local independent schools.

The trustees meet twice a term to look at the accounts and consider the applications from teachers for clubs, trips and projects.

The largest annual commitment is the residential trip for the children at the top of the school (aged 10 and 11) to a centre in the country or by the sea for 5 days. Each family is asked to contribute a small percentage while Avondale Extra pays the rest including the cost of two coaches there and back.

For many children this is the first time they have stayed away from home and some have never been to the English countryside or the sea.

The cost of the trip is high but the benefits to the children are enormous.

OUTCOMES

By helping to provide a wide variety of clubs, outings, facilities and opportunities for the children, Avondale Extra makes a huge difference to the quality of the children's lives.

We often receive expressive and touching accounts of the children's experiences, thanking Avondale Extra for making it all happen.

A DVD of the annual residential trip not only shows some of the physical challenges that the children are given but also the sheer pleasure of being by the sea and in the fresh air with lots of space.

The children who take part in W11 Opera learn about classical music often for the first time and about performance in a disciplined framework with other children from many different backgrounds. For the parents too, it can be their first experience of opera.

The Gardening Club which takes place in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden provides an opportunity to learn about plants and propagation in a specially built area. The children are able to grow vegetables which they can take home to cook.

Jazz Week, which has been supported by AX for many years, takes place after Year 6' s final exams before they move on to secondary school. Each year we see children learn to enjoy music and performance. We believe that by providing opportunities for exploring new interests and hobbies, we are putting down roots and foundations which can last a lifetime.

RECENT PROJECTS

One of our recent projects has been to create a new Reading Room. As the school had no library, we wanted to encourage a love of reading by making a space which is welcoming and comfortable. This is now finished and in daily use with about 2000 books, a mix of fiction and fact. On the walls are framed illustrations by well-known children's book illustrators.

This is part of a mosaic designed by the children of Avondale Park Primary School and sponsored by Avondale Extra.

Here are a selection of thank you letters from Avondale children.

GRENFELL

MESSAGE TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS

You may wish to know that we used your donations in some of the following ways:

We gave direct financial support to the 4 Avondale families who escaped from Grenfell Tower and were housed in hotels.

We arranged and paid for each of these families to take a holiday of their choice. We gave a donation to the relatives of the two Avondale families who lost their lives.

We gave families living in hotels Sainsbury's and Primark vouchers to buy clothes.

We arranged a free play centre for Avondale children where there were therapists visiting each day, drama and dance workshops, visits to local sports centres and trips to Chessington and Thorpe Park.

We funded two groups to work with children in Y6 who lost a class member in the fire and had another class member very ill in hospital. One group were jazz musicians who had worked in the school before and helped the children compose songs which expressed their feelings. The other was an art therapist who helped children produce a beautiful printed banner which reflected the themes of identity and belonging. This artist then worked with a group of eleven parents, producing cushions for them and their friends in their new homes.

We funded places at breakfast club for children in temporary accommodation.

We provided trips and clubs which we hope inspired and encouraged outside interests.

Memorial bracelets were sold to our children, parents and supporters. These were subsidised by Avondale Extra.

As a permanent memorial to Grenfell, we have commissioned a large mosaic to cover a wall in the playground. The design is based on our children's drawings of the local area and Grenfell Tower. The words 'Forever in our Hearts,' written about the school by one of our children who died, are included.